


Riot In The Air

by brokenhighways



Series: The Thrill [3]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Family Reunions, Foster Care, Humor, M/M, Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:50:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Jude finds out that Zero has a sister.





	Riot In The Air

**Author's Note:**

> Third part of The Thrill. This one kinda ran away from me a little, but I hope people like it!
> 
> This is unbeta'd so I apologize for any errors. 
> 
> Oh and...Adam might not be coming back to the show but I still have a ton of unfinished Zude fic in my drafts folder. :P Watch this space.

i.

“What do you mean you have a _sister_?” Jude hisses quietly, like it's a huge secret that he's afraid to say out loud. Zero shares a look with Clive who's clearly opened his big fat mouth once again. “How is that even possible?”

Zero turns back to Jude and cocks his head to the side. “Hmm, let's see. My mom met some scumbag, magic happened and viola, nine months later she received a bundle of joy.”

From the withering glare that Jude aims in his direction, Zero suspects that his sarcasm is not appreciated

Clive shakes his head from the driver's seat. “Maybe I should leave you two to talk?”

Zero glares at him because this is _his_ fault. He's really got to put an end to Jude and Clive spending time with each other.

Jude frowns. “We're in the middle of the freeway. Should I be concerned that you want to leave in the _middle_ of driving us home?”

On one hand, Zero totally wants to smirk at Clive because he just been schooled, on the other hand, nothing good comes out of Jude's sassiness.

“I'll just... shut up and drive,” Clive says sheepishly.

“You do that,” Zero replies sarcastically.

“Anyway...we should invite your sister to dinner,” Jude says slowly. “If you're okay with it that is.”

The last part is added on and said in a tone that suggests that Zero being okay with it is purely _optional._

Too bad that Zero has to put his foot down on this matter.

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Zero replies, deliberately avoiding Jude's gaze. They haven't spoken much about family past the odd comments in Zero's case and Oscar's shitty behaviour.

He doesn't like to think about it. The foster parents, the few years he was with his mom, any of it.

His sister, Laura, lives here in LA, but not because of him. She moved down from Boston a few months ago for an internship at a law firm. Zero set her up with an apartment and a car and that was that. Clive's been pushing him to try and forge some kind of relationship with her to no avail. Zero is guessing that Clive thinks Jude is the best way to get him to do that.

Sometimes he truly hates Clive.

“Why not?” Jude asks. “I know that you didn't have the easiest of childhoods, but surely that wasn't down to her.”

Clive clears his throat from the driver's seat. “Uh, we're almost at the house, maybe you should continue this conversation there.”

Considering that Clive is Zero's enabler, manager, handyman, chauffeur and occasional agony aunt, he's more or less the only person that knows an inkling about Zero's past. Even though Zero has been dating Jude for months, there's a lot that he's never divulged. Judging by the guilty expression on Clive's face, his sister wasn't the only thing he spilled to Jude.

“You can kiss your bonus goodbye,” he says without any explanation.

Clive doesn't need one. “In my defense, you know how chatty I get when I'm hungry. You kept us waiting for _hours._ ”

Zero rolls his eyes. “Maybe I'll use that as my defense in court when I kill you.”

“Zero!” Jude chastises him with a frown. “Look, I made him tell me. If anyone is to blame, it's me.”

Zero shrugs. “Whatever. Yeah, I have a sister, no, I don't want to talk about it. No, we're not inviting her for dinner. Next subject.”

They spend the rest of the ride in uncomfortable silence.

ii.

Despite his reluctance to introduce Jude to his sister, Zero decides to pay her a visit.

It's mid-afternoon on his day off when he heads to her apartment which is situated in downtown LA, not too far from the Financial District. After navigating through the heavy traffic, he's already in a bad mood by the time he arrives.

He's knocked three times and is poking a cracked cement tile with his foot when he finally hears some movement behind the door.

The sight of an unknown man opening the door makes his mood worse. The guy is shirtless, wearing ratty boxers and in desperate need of a haircut.

“Who the fuck are you?” Zero demands to know.

The guy narrows his eyes and asks, “Dude, who the fuck are _you_?”

Before the conversation can go any further, the door opens wider and his sister pokes her head out. Her long brown hair is a mess, but she looks much better than the scruffy guy who's now eyeing Zero warily.

Laura groans when she sees that it's him.

“What did the landlord complain about now?”

It takes a while for Zero to realise what she's talking about. Technically, he owns the apartment, but he wasn't stupid enough to tell her that and after three noise complaints, he had to come up with some way to make her enforce the rules. So he may or may not have gotten Clive to pretend to be the landlord.

“Nothing,” he says simply. “I'm just checking in on you.”

Scruffy frowns and takes a step back. “Laura, who is this guy?”

Zero folds his arms across his chest. “Her brother. And you are?”

“Her bo--”

“ _Friend,”_ Laura interrupts, grabbing his arm and pulling him backwards “Go back inside please.”

The guy grunts but he goes quietly.

“Your _friend_?” Zero says incredulously because he wasn't born yesterday.

She dismisses his comment with an abortive gesture. “What do you want, _Zero_?”

“Like I said, I'm checking in on you,” Zero says, not missing the weird emphasis she put on his name. “Am I not allowed to do that?”

“We agreed that we would stay out of each other's way,” she says. “That was your one stipulation. You help me and I stay invisible.”

_Wow_ , Zero thinks, _guess I'm kind of a dick._

“I... know that I've been _distant_ since you moved here, but it's not because I don't care about you,” he tells her.

She blinks at him and bursts out laughing. After a few seconds, Laura and stops and her eyes widen. “Oh, you're _serious_?”

Zero shakes his head. “I shouldn't have come. I'll just get out of your hair.”

“No, wait, I'm sorry,” she says. “Look, why don't we meet for lunch tomorrow? There are a few things we need to discuss.”

Despite his misgivings, Zero agrees.

iii.

Jude's latest obsession is finding fault with Zero's house. It's too big, too empty and too bland. Clive thinks that he's angling for Zero to ask him to move in, but Zero thinks it's something else entirely. He's just not sure what.

“He's here all the time anyway, why not just ask him to stay?” Clive asks around a mouthful of croissant. They're eating breakfast in Zero's kitchen and killing time until Clive has to drive him to practice and then the chiropractor. 

“I don't know how your wife does it,” Zero muses after Clive gulps down his orange juice and lets out a loud belch.

“Don't change the subject,” Clive replies with  knowing look. “What good reason could you have for _not_ wanting him to move in.”

Zero sighs; he's seen this movie before, first, he'll let Jude move in and it's blissful for three days before the nightmare starts. They'll piss each off, get in the way, fight and fight some more.

“I need my space,” he replies. “Is that a crime?”

Clive snorts. “This house has _seven_ bedrooms. How much space do you need?”

“A _lot_ ,” Zero deadpans. He walks over to the sink and places his empty bowl in it. “I'm going to get ready.”

iv.

Zero goes to see a Raiders game with Jude, and regrets it when someone spots him despite the cap has he shoved on his head.

“Why did we even come? Neither of us even _like_ the Raiders,” Jude says after that makes their way out.

Zero blinks at him. “Huh?”

Jude eyes him strangely but he mutters _never mind_ and remains quiet until they get to the car.

“What's up with you?” he asks when Zero's settled in the passenger seat. “You've been acting weird all day. Is this because I said that your bathroom reminded me of an eighties pawn shop?”

Zero raises an eyebrow, “Have you even _seen_ an eighties pawn shop?”

“I'm just saying, the décor and colour scheme are haphazard at best.”

“Jude, we'll sort the bathroom out later. Let's get going.”

A few moments into the drive, Zero finally decides to come clean.

“I went to see my sister,” he confesses. “We don't have the best relationship. I help her out and in return, she stays away.”

Jude tenses up at that, his knuckles whitening around the steering wheel. It's why Zero hasn't told him, he's worried that he's no better than Oscar. Throwing money at family and doing his best to pretend that they're not there.

“Why would you want her to stay away?” Jude manages to keep his voice level despite the change in his demeanour.

Zero sits back and exhales deeply before saying, “It's for her own good. After everything we went through, she landed on her feet with this nice couple in Boston. They took care of her, put her through school and after all of that shittiness she got to have something _normal._ I don't want to be the person that has her living in the past, you know?”

The hard line of Jude's shoulders loosens up and he squeezes Zero's knee gently.

“What happened when you were a kid wasn't your fault,” he says considerately. “You shouldn't let it dictate the relationship you have with your sister.”

v.

With Jude's words in mind, Zero meets his sister for lunch. It's the kind of upscale, trendy college hangout that he wouldn't be caught dead in, but he hopes that means he won't get papped. They never snap him from his _good_ side.

Laura has already been seated by the time he gets there and he's thankful that he doesn't have to wait. That would give him too much time to come up with reasons to bail.

“Hey, Zero…”Laura says when she sees him.

There's an awkward smile on her face, and he hears himself saying, “Call me Gideon.”

It's kind of weird for her of all people to call him Zero.

“Oh, thank God,” she says, her voice heavy with relief. “You know, I still remember them calling you that.”

“Even with everything that came after you left?”

There isn't that much of an age gap between them, but she was still quite young when she lived with him in that foster home.

Leo and Carla ended up losing half of their kids when they failed a routine inspection. Not enough space to house all of the kids meant that some had to go, and that included his sister. It didn't matter that they were siblings, it was just what had to happen.

It was the last time he saw her until he tracked her down years later, sometime after he'd turned pro.

Laura looks down at her coffee and shrugs. “When you're in a shitty situation, the only thing that keeps you going is the memory of better times. Or, in my case, less shitty times.”

Part of the reason why Zero has been keeping his distance is because he doesn't want to hear about it. Hearing about what happened to her makes it real.

He doesn't want it to be real. He wants all of the bad memories to stay in some kind of impenetrable bubble, preferably forever.

Some people might call that denial, but to him, it's self preservation.

“Why did you want to have lunch anyway?” Zero asks suddenly. He hasn't been rushing to hang out with her since she moved here, but on the flip side, neither has she.

Laura looks away guiltily before mumbling, “I'm going back to Boston.”

Zero's eyes widen so fast that he can feel his eyeballs contracting.

“Why?”

She shrubs and starts fiddling with the wooden coffee stirrer that's lying on her napkin. “The internship isn't working out, the people here are way too superficial and the one person I came for doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. I'm surprised the landlord didn't tell you? I'm leaving over the weekend.”

“Whoa, slow it down, Flo-Jo,” Zero replies hurriedly. “You told the landlord?”

It takes a second for him to get it.

_Clive._

That explains why he mentioned Laura to Jude.

“Yeah, wasn't I supposed to?” Laura asks. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you in person.”

Zero just stares at her, thoughts so scrambled that he remains silent.

“I'll be on my way then,” she says. “It was nice seeing you.”

She's just about to stand up when Zero's mind flickers back on and he realises that he can't let her walk out of his life.

If he does, he'll never forgive himself.

“It's not that I don't want anything to do with you,” he manages to force out. “I just have no idea how to do anything that isn't basketball. Family. Being there for someone. That's not my forte.”

Laura shrugs, “It is what is is, big bro, I don't blame you.”

“You should!” Zero exclaims. “I haven't been the best person since you came here. I'm sorry about that.”

She eyes him warily, the silence building to the point where he starts to feel uncomfortable. The only thing that calms him down is the thought of wringing Clive's neck when he finally catches up with him.

“I did my research before I came here,” Laura says. “The internet is well versed in your long history of dickishness, but I guess I just had to see it for myself. Now, I have.”

“I'm not the same guy that I was six months ago,” Zero tells her earnestly.

It's true; being with Jude has changed him for better or for worse. It's not just about him and what people can do for him. He's learning how to give a shit about other people and he'll never forgive himself if he doesn't try properly with his sister.

Laura mock gasps. “Do they do _personality_ transplants in this town too? Look, don't sweat it. It's cool.”

Zero finds himself smiling slightly even though what she's saying goes against what he wants.

“Can we just start over? You can come and stay with me and I promise that we'll talk. Properly, and not just when the sink is clogged.”

Laura looks unsure at first but eventually she answers him.

“I'm sorry, but I can't. Without the internship, there isn't really anything keeping me here.”

“What about your boyfriend?” Zero scowls at the mere thought of the guy, but maybe that'll help change her mind.

She snorts. “He'll live.”

vi.

Zero's lying on Jude's couch and channel surfing when he gets back. If Jude is surprised to see him, he doesn't show it. He sets his bag down and shrugs off his jacket before he leans down to press a chaste kiss to Zero's lips. Normally, Zero would chase after him and draw it out but he can't get his sister out of his mind.

“What's on your mind?” Jude asks after he pulls back. “And don't say _you_ or _nothing.”_

Zero sits up slowly and swings his legs down onto the floor.

“She's leaving. My sister. And it's all my fault for being a shitty brother.”

Jude comes to join him the couch, sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch.

“I'm sorry, Gideon,” he says softly. “Although, maybe it's for the best. Whenever I see Oscar, I get... It feels like a fresh rejection each time. Sometimes _I_ want to leave but... Luckily I have you. You're more of a family than he'll ever be and I wish your sister could see that side of you.”

Zero can't really make sense of Jude's point, so he just asks the question that's been on his mind. “How do I get her to stay?”

“Simple, tell her that you want her to stay,” Jude says. “She might not stay, but at least you'll know that you've tried.

“God, I love you,” Zero blurts out, because he's been thinking about it for hours now and Jude's managed to lay out simply in two minutes.

He doesn't need to make some grand declaration, he just needs to tell her that he actually wants her to stay.

“That's the first time you've ever said that to me.”

Zero frowns before he realises what he just said.

The _L_ word.

“First time I've ever said it to anybody,” he says nonchalantly, though, internally he may or may not be starting to panic. “Consider yourself lucky.”

Jude chuckles dryly. “Anyone ever tell you that you have a way with words?”

“All the time,” Zero fires back around a grin.

vii.

There are moving vans outside of Laura's apartment when Zero and Clive pull up a few days later. Zero could have called, or texted, but he decided that talking face to face was best.

Despite being the person to start all of this, Clive's been pessimistic ever since Zero told him what he was going to do.

“Can I just say that I don't this is a good idea,” Clive says. “I don't really want to be here when she tells you where to go.”

Zero shifts forward and slaps the back of Clive's head from the backseat. “Don't think I don't know that you _knew_ she was leaving.”

He exits the car as Clive is rubbing his sore spot. Laura's just by the front door talking on the phone when she spots him. She hangs up quickly and comes over to him.

“Hey, Gideon,” she calls out brightly. “You here to help me pack?”

“I spoke to the law firm and apparently you've been doing exemplary work,” Zero tells her without any preamble. “I don't get why you'd throw away a good opportunity.”

Laura seems coolly unconcerned, shrugging just before she says, “Guess it'll always be one of life's mysteries.”

Clive finally appears in time to mutter, “I see that sassiness is genetic.”

Zero ignores him in favour of trying to reason with her. He doesn't know the first thing about law, but he's not an idiot. Internships aren't easy to come by, especially in LA.

Opportunities aren't handed out like cookies and it's important that he knows that _she_ knows that. Call it the one brotherly duty that he's actually going to do.

“When I first turned pro, I wanted to quit after the month. The hazing, the drills, it was ten times tougher than I expected. I wasn't too happy I had to prove myself all over again, and there were many times when it was all too much. And I had no one to encourage me. No one to tell me that I could do it. No one to just _bitch_ to. It was just me.

“What kept me going was knowing that I'd worked too hard to blow everything. I had to work on smothering certain emotions and put all energy into basketball and I did. Up until recently, it's all I did, but... I'm starting to see the value in letting over people in. So if you're willing to give me a second chance, I'd like you to stay.”

Laura's eyes are glassy when he's finished speaking and he hopes that she doesn't _cry_ or anything like that.

“Oh, fine, I'll stay,” she says after a long pause. “Not just because what you said but... I'd like to give you that second chance.”

Zero breaths a sigh of relief just as Clive clears his throat loudly.

“Oh, right,” he says, “Look, I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me? I have a guest house or seven other bedrooms - just take your pick and we're good to go.”

It's not the best way to ask her but Zero's all out of sentiment at the moment. This whole ‘ _opening up about yourself_ ’ thing is kind of draining.

“Won't your girlfriend mind?” Laura asks with a puzzled expression on her face.

Zero frowns and speaks without thinking, “I don't have a girlfriend.”

Laura frowns and looks at Clive. “I thought you said he was seeing someone.”

Zero opens his mouth to reply, but he falters and nothing comes out.

“Oh, boy, this is going to be interesting,” Clive comments.

viii.

The day after Laura moves in, Zero makes dinner. Or rather he calls Chef Maria and gets _her_ to make dinner, but, whatever he's still paying for it.

“I have something to tell you,” he announces when they're done eating. “About me.”

Laura raises an eyebrow. “Don't worry, I'm a member of your fanclub online. I know all about your Taylor Swift hookup.”

Zero's sure that she's joking, but her humour is another thing that he's going to have to learn along with how to be a good brother.

“In _her_ dreams _,_ ” he says with a laugh. “But actually I _am_ seeing someone and it's pretty serious. It's, uh, kind of complicated.”

Laura looks confused, but she says, “Go on. So long as it isn't some vapid gold-digger, I won't judge.”

Zero smiles weakly, but he finds that he can't say it. It's ridiculous because Jude is everything to him and he'd never be ashamed of him, but his sister is a whole different ballpark. He doesn't want to disappoint her before they get a chance to know each other.

“Are you okay?” Laura asks when he doesn't say anything else. “You look like you want to throw up.”

“I'm fine, it's just that I'm... the person I'm seeing is…” Zero trails off as his words getting stuck in his throat. This was a lot smoother when he went over it in his head.

Laura throws her hands up in the air. “A _guy_! Seriously, why is that so hard to say? Do I look like some kind of raging homophobe?”

Zero shrugs warily. “They come in all shapes and sizes, little sis.”

“How did you know?” he adds before she can come up with a rebuttal.

“He came over earlier,” Laura says. “I saw you kiss him. He's cute.”

Zero's not sure if he should be worried that her being here means that prying eyes will be watching everything he does.

“You're really okay with it?” he asks her.

Laura smiles and reaches over to squeeze his hand gently. “Of course I am.”

ix.

Zero gets the distinct feeling that she's _not_ okay with it when she gatecrashes his and Jude's date night. With Laura living at the house, they've both agreed to keep things simple and give her time to get used to everything. That means that Jude's been sleeping over at his own place more lately. Usually they'd do this there, but Jude's long accepted that Zero has a better movie collection.

However, it's not like they can turn Laura away when she stumbles into the front room, dressed in Minnie Mouse sweatpants and a Nirvana t-shirt, looking like she's just woken up.

“Oh, Jude, you're here,” she says. “Sup.”

Zero wonders if it's bad that she's already annoying the shit out of him after a week of being at the house.

Jude waves at her stupidly. “Uh, hi again. Do you want to join us?”

Zero turns to glare at him, but before he can veto the suggestion, Laura is squeezing herself between them and propping her feet on the coffee table.

Jude's eyes widen because Zero's kind of anal about his furniture. He has a strict no feet on any tables rule, but what the hell, it's not like he gets that many guests anyway. Plus, there's the whole years of abandonment and guilt thing. He's not about to throw a hissy fit over a _table_.

They sit in silence for a few minutes before Laura steals the popcorn from Zero's lap and says,

“So, how long have you guys been dating?” she enquires conversationally.

Zero and Jude share a look over her head.

“Long enough,” Zero says because he's really not ready to talk about this with her.

“Oh, and Jude's the son of the guy who owns the team, right?” Laura adds. “Isn't that a conflict of interest?”

“Actually, I'm the team's physical therapist,” Jude points out. “But I don't work with Zero anymore, he's got his own medical team now. What with his--”

Jude cuts himself off abruptly when Zero clears his throat and shoots him a stern look.

“You know, I just remembered that I have some things to do,” Jude continues abruptly.

“Oh?” Laura replies in a tone that suggests that she doesn't really care.

“Uh, yeah,” Jude says as he stands up from the couch. “Zero, I'll catch you later.”

He hovers momentarily before he pats Zero on the head and heads out of the room.

There's a beat before Laura turns to Zero and says, “Did he just _pat_ you on the head?”

Zero narrows his eyes at her. “What the hell was that? How do you know all of that stuff about Jude?”

Laura scoots over and closes the gap left by Jude. “Clive the Landlord is chatty. Have I mentioned how glad I am that he's not really a landlord? He has all of the good gossip. It's awesome.”

Zero pinches the bridge of his nose and rubs his forehead in frustration. “I should _really_ fire him."

“You won't,” Laura says confidently. “He's the only friend you have.”

Zero scoffs because that's clearly not true. “I have tons of friends. The team. The guy who does my hair. My stockbroker. My lawyer.”

Laura cocks her head to one side while raising her eyebrows. “Uh, I hate to break it to you, but the guy who does your hair is _not_ your friend.”

“Well, I think that my hair is fly,” Zero says, and he definitely doesn't run a hand through it self-consciously. He's just... checking to see that it's all there.

“Yeah, so does Aaron Carter,” Laura points out. “Pretty sure he has the same one.”

“Seriously, though, why were you being hard on Jude?” Zero asks, choosing to ignore that comment. “His dad being the team owner is kind of complicated, but it doesn't have anything to do with us.”

Laura shrugs. “I'm your sister. It's my job to size up any and all romantic partners you have.”

Her tone is flippant, but Zero's not sure that's all it is.

However, she doesn't say much after so he leaves it at that.

x.

Zero's just coming out of practise when he bumps into Derek. Their already tense relationship came to a head during summer when there was a battle for the newly vacant position of team captain. Terrence Wall was cut from the team, and Jelena exercised her resting bitch face until Oscar caved and brought him back for an extra year. However, that was with the knowledge that he'd be coming off the bench in most games. Hence the need for a new captain.

To cut a long story short, Derek won and he's been gloating about it ever since.

“Whoa, man, where's the fire?” Derek says when Zero tries to walk around him. “I need to speak to you about...the lack of peroxide in your hair. Is everything okay, man?”

Zero will deny ever looking up Aaron Carter and deciding that he didn't even want to be in the same room as him let alone have have same hair colour. However, the blond, flashy haircut is the old Zero, his new more conservative cut is the new Zero.

Well.

That's his official story at least. The real truth is that he doesn't want Laura judging him.

“I'm fine,” he tells Derek, taking a step back so that there's some distance between them. “I have somewhere to be.”

Laura either has the worst or best timing because she and Jude emerge around the corner just at the moment.

Derek lets out a low whistle when he turns to see what Zero is looking at. “Who's the girl?”

Zero clenches his jaw and narrows his eyes. “That's my sister.”

Derek's amused face morphs into one of contrition almost instantly. It would be funny if Zero wasn't so irritated.

“Oh, well, damn, okay, let's just pretend that I didn't do the whistle thing and--”

Zero walks away before Derek can finish his excuse.

Technically, Jude is supposed to be giving Laura a tour of the arena but it looks like they've finished early. By the time he reaches them Jude seems frazzled and Laura looks downright bored.

“Is this the part where I admit that I don't really like basketball?” she says when Zero stops next to her.

Zero just looks at her wearily and wonders where he could possibly bury Clive's body.

xi.

It's another two days before Zero finally caves and decides to tackle the awkwardness head on. It feels like he and Jude have been treading on eggshells ever since Laura showed up and Zero doesn't think that's good for their relationship. Jude might be patient now but eventually, he's going to get fed up and Zero can't take that chance.

“So what do you think of Jude?” he asks Laura over breakfast. It's early, because Zero just got back from his run and Laura's averse to sleeping in. 

Laura looks up from where she's been scrolling through her phone at the kitchen table and shrugs. “He's okay. Not really your type from what I've seen, but, hey, maybe you were trying to be who you thought people wanted you to be.”

“What?” Zero asks stupidly, because that wasn't the answer he was expecting. A simple _I think he's great_ or _I hate his guts_ would have sufficed.

“Never mind,” Laura says after regarding him with a speculative expression, like she's trying to figure him out.

It's unnerving and he finds himself saying, “There's _obviously_ something on your mind.”

Laura puts her phone down with heavy sigh, her lips pinched together briefly before she replies with, “Someone at the arena asked me if the reason why you spend so much time with him is because you have an injury that you don't want anyone to know about.”

“And?” Zero asks, because he and Jude have talked about this. If anyone asks, they'll say that they're friends. Luckily for Zero, Jude has been understanding about the need to keep their relationship private. He's never shown any indication that he's bothered by it.

“And, if they're noticing now it's only going to be worse in the long run,” she says, her hands splayed wide before they relax and come to rest on the table. “I'm not so sure that either you - especially _you_ \- have thought about that. He's a nice guy, but is he worth the fall out?”

Zero leans back against the counter and says, “You remember, Leo, right?*

“I'll never forget that asshole,” Laura says sharply.

“Day I turned pro, I went to see him,” Zero says. “We exchanged words and I ended up punching him in the face. There was blood _everywhere_ and I thought for sure I was done. That he'd call the cops and everything would be over before it begun. I got lucky. Despite that I'd do it again even if I meant losing everything.”

“What are you saying?” Laura asks. Zero's not really sure why he picked Leo to make his point, but he decides to roll with it.

“I'm saying that win or lose, Jude's worth it. I like him.”

There's a small smile on Laura's face and Zero braces himself for a sarcastic comment, but it doesn't come.

“Whatever you say. Just know that I've got your back,” is all she says, pausing momentarily before she adds, “I wish I could punch _my_ Leo, but I guess he's getting enough of that in jail.”

Zero looks away and mutters, “Not nearly enough.”

“Did you really punch him?” Laura asks, her eyes twinkling with eager curiosity.

Zero holds up his right hand. “I've got the scars to prove it.”

“Did it actually help?” she asks quietly, eyebrows furrowed momentarily before she releases them. “Was it _really_ worth it?”

Zero stops to consider this. He's never really thought about it. Punching Leo was satisfying, but he's still the same messed up guy he was back then. He still has hang ups, and everything that happened back then _still_ dictates the way he lives his life today.

A couple of superficial wounds on Leo's face will never change that.

Even so, he's not going to admit that.

“Yeah, it did,” he says, making sure to look her straight in the eyes. “I showed him that he could never mess with me again. That no one could.”

The look that she gives him seems to indicate that she can see right through the bravado and suddenly, he finds that he'd rather not talk about this anymore.

“Can we change the subject now?” Zero says with a laugh that sounds more uncomfortable than he was going for.

Thankfully, Laura seems relieved and happy to oblige. “I think it's time for us to talk about the décor. Did a blind person design this place or is it just you that has bad taste?

Zero pushes off from the counter and rolls his eyes. “Not you as well. There's nothing wrong with my house.”

“Correction; there would be nothing wrong with this house if you were a tarot card reader,” she says.

Some of the fixtures might be a little gaudy, but as far as Zero is concerned, it gives the house _character._

“I paid a lot of people a lot of money to get the house looking like this,” Zero says pointedly. “I'd rather not pay more to fix whatever imaginary issues you and Jude have.”

Mentioning Jude seems to spur her on even more if the growing gleam in her eyes is any indication.

“You know... if Jude agrees with me that's two against one,” she informs him. “You might want to break out your AMEX card.”

The way she says _two against one_ makes him stop. For the longest time it's just been him, with no outside input (except for Clive, but he doesn't count). It's not until now that he realises how _lonely_ he's been over the past few years.

However, with Jude by his side and Laura finally here it's almost like...

They're family. They're _his_ family.

He gives in.

xii.

With Laura living at the house and Jude no longer stopping by as much, Zero is forced to track Jude down at his office.

“Hey, stranger,” Zero says after knocking at the door. He steps in and glances around. He's never really been _inside_ before. “This place is like a shoebox.”

Jude looks up from his computer with a wry smile. “Only the best for Oscar Kinkade’s son.”

Zero's not sure how to respond to that so he just says, “Do you want to come by later?”

Pete's given them the next day off and Zero intends to make the most of it.

“Will your sister be there?” Jude asks, uncertainty clear in his tone.

“Maybe. Why?” Zero responds.

Jude lets his pen fall before he says,“I don't want to interrupt your time together.”

“Right now, I'm more concerned about _our_ time together,” Zero says quietly. “I'll take care of Laura.”

Jude grins at him, ducking his head slightly when a group of players walk past the open door. “Guess I'll see you there.”

~

Zero's not above bribery, so he takes Laura to lunch and jumps right into it before they're done eating.

“So, how much will it take for you give Jude and I some space at the house tonight?”

“Is that why we're here?” Laura asks, eyes narrowing as glares at Zero. “I should have known. Clive told me about your lack of tact.”

“That's why we're here,” Zero confirms. “So, what's it going to take?”

“You know how you gave me that speech about not giving up on the internship? And how I maybe led you to believe that I went back to it? Well, I didn't. The people there are obnoxious and stuck up.”

Zero frowns, because deception aside, he's not going to push her to be in a place that she dislikes. “Why didn't you just tell me?”

Laura raises an eyebrow and makes a small jittery movement with her hands.

“'Cause of the way you're looking at me now. Anyway, I'll leave you alone if you agree to just accept my decision and never bring it up again. I got enough shit from Mo--from Jennifer and Anthony over it.”

Zero catches the slip, but he doesn't say anything. One day they'll sit down and talk about her time in Boston, but that day isn't today.

Today is about getting some guaranteed alone time with his boyfriend.

“Fine, you have yourself a deal.”

Laura's hand stills, fork hovering above her salad as she eyes him suspiciously.

“That was easy. Too easy. Are you mentally planning my intervention?”  

Zero eyes her warily, “No, I just miss Jude. He seems to think that if he comes over, he'll be interrupting our ‘quality time’ together.”

“Aww, that's so sweet,” Laura says with a small grin. “I think I like him better than you.”

Zero smiles brightly. “Ditto.”

Laura rolls her eyes and lets out a sarcastic, “Ha ha.”

“So, do I have your word that you'll find somewhere else to be tonight?"

Laura mock salutes him with her fork. “Your wish is my command.”

~

Laura goes to stay with one of her friends later on during the day. Zero sincerely hopes that it isn't that vagabond boyfriend of hers, but he decides not to dwell on it.

Despite the fact that she's only been living with him for two weeks, it feels like a lifetime. It's been a whirlwind of emotion and change, but Zero's glad that they're finally getting to know each other.

Jude comes by around seven and they settle down in front of the couch. The television is on some random channel but Zero doesn't even care about that.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Do you hear that?” he asks Jude.

“Uh, no, I don't hear anything?” Jude says, sounding confused.

Zero opens his eyes and grins. “Exactly.”

“Your sister _isn't_ that bad,” Jude says with a small upturn of his lips. “She's just…”

“Annoying, loud, a brat, messy, stubborn and a pain in the ass,” Zero fills in the blanks.

“I was going to say _a handful_ ,” Jude says, chuckling when Zero shakes his head, “and I think a couple of those apply to someone else I know.”

Zero tilts his head to one side and considers Jude's words. “Yeah, Clive is all of those things too.”

“Well, you _like_ Clive, so that just means that you like your sister,” Jude tells him.

Zero snorts. “I don't like Clive, I _tolerate_ him. There's a huge difference “

Before Jude can reply, the front door sounds, opening loudly before being slammed with as much gusto.

The only person known for making such a graceful entrance is Clive, and Zero isn't surprised to see him bustle into the front room and drop down onto the leather armchair that has a permanent sag because Clive has _zero_ respect for his furniture.

“Speak of the devil…” Jude says, sounding far too amused given that they've just been interrupted _again._

“Do you mind?” Zero asks. “Jude and me are _busy._ ”

Clive flips him the bird, and reaches over to grab the remote from the table. “I had a fight with the ball and chain.”

Zero rolls his eyes - what does he look like, an agony aunt?

“So you drove forty-five minutes just to sit in my house feeling sorry for yourself?”

Clive looks at him disdainfully. “I've driven longer than that to get _you_ out of trouble.”

Jude clears his throat before Zero can say anything to that.

“I think I'm going to leave you two alone,” Jude says. “Besides, Lionel's been hassling me about getting a sit down with Oscar. Apparently she hears ' _apple of his eye_ ’ instead of shunned son whenever I tell her my life story.”

Zero rolls his eyes and says, “I can't believe you're still friends with her after what she did.”

“What can I say?” Jude replies with a shrug. “I forgive easily.”

Clive grunts and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, “Is that what you're calling it?”

Five minutes later when it looks like Clive really isn't going to budge, Zero sees Jude out.

“He's certainly making himself at home,” Jude says when they reach the front door.

Jude doesn't seem peeved but Zero is. At this point, he could write a book on the number of times Clive has come between him and some action.

“I'm going to send Clive on vacation. Possibly to Space. Forever. Might even spring for a ticket for Lionel.”

Zero's threat might be idle, but he's definitely going to give Clive a piece of his mind before the night is over.

Jude's grin is an amused one. “Anyone else you want to send to Space?”

“Anyone who comes between us spending time together,” Zero says, before he closes the distance between them and adds, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Jude tells him softly, before he leans in for a kiss. After he pulls away and it finally hits Zero. There's one way to make it so that Jude's here more often.

“Do you want to move in with me?” Zero's hand is still lingering on Jude's chest and he feels the way his breath hitches.

“What?” Jude asks, looking completely taken aback.

“I'd like it if you were here all the time,” he says slowly, finally starting to feel somewhat nervous. “I get it if you don't want to but…”

Jude reaches out and clasps Zero's hand from where it was still pressed against his chest.

”Hey, stupid, of course I want to move in with you. I'm just surprised. I thought maybe you'd want more one on one time with your sister.”

Zero shrugs, “I do, but I want more one on one time with you too. In case you hadn't noticed, I've kinda gotten used to having you around.”

Jude leans in to kiss him again, drawing it out until they're forced to come up for air.

“What was that for?” Zero asks breathlessly, when Jude pulls away from him.

Jude’s eyes soften and he smiles affectionately.”That was my way of saying that I love you, and that I'd love to move in.”

Despite Zero's misgivings about Jude moving in, he knows that he's done the right thing because he can feel it in his gut, the genuine excitement stemming from Jude being with him more often. He tries to play it cool, but Jude's words leave him slightly breathless, his hands tingling as heat radiates in his chest.

This is really happening.

Zero is hit by a sudden wave of contentment. He almost wishes that he could bottle it up and set it free whenever he needs to be okay with the world.

He _definitely_ wishes that he could go back to thinking thoughts that don't make him cringe internally, but he figures that he'll give himself a pass just this once.

They embrace one more time before Jude heads out. Zero's still on cloud nine even when he sees that Clive's been raiding the fridge.

“Jude's moving in,” he says after he plops back down onto the couch.

“So, you took my advice, huh?” Clive glances away from the screen long enough to give Zero a smug look.

Zero grimaces at the mere thought. “Like I'd ever do that. I'm not an idiot.”

Clive shakes his head in amusement. “I beg to differ.”

“Clive, I maybe don't hate you as much as I claim to, but if you interrupt us again, I'm going to kill you. Got that?”

Clive rolls his eyes and changes the channel. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Zero tunes everything out after that. He's finally got his sister back and now he gets to wake up to Jude every morning.

It doesn't get much better than that.  

_Fin_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
